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(as of 10/21/01)
Orville Brown 07/14/48
Reigning Midwest Wrestling Association World Heavyweight
Champion, awarded as the first National Wrestling
Alliance World Champion; MWA absorbed into NWA.
Lou Thesz 11/27/49 St. Louis, MO
Unifies the following titles to become the undisputed
World Heavyweight Champion:
*National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight
Title, having defeated Bill Longson on 07/20/48 in
Indianapolis, IN
*National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Title,
awarded on 11/27/49 when champion Orville Brown is
injured in an automobile accident on 11/01/49 before
a unification match scheduled on 11/25/49 in St.
Louis, MO
*American Wrestling Association World Heavyweight
Title (Boston), defeating Gorgeous George on
07/27/50 in Chicago, IL
*Los Angeles version of the World Title, defeating
Baron Michele Leone on 05/21/52 in Los Angeles, CA.
Whipper Billy Watson 03/15/56 Toronto, ON
Wins by countout.
Lou Thesz [2] 11/09/56 St. Louis, MO
Loses to Edouard Carpentier by disqualification on
06/14/57 in Chicago, IL when Thesz cannot continue
due to a back injury; NWA rules the title cannot
change hands through an injury and gives the belt
back to Thesz; Carpentier recognized as World Champion
in Omaha and by World Wrestling Association in Los
Angeles to legitimate the lineages of their world
titles; Thesz defeats Carpentier in rematch by
disqualification on 07/24/57 in Montreal, QC.
Dick Hutton 11/14/57 Toronto, ON
Pat O'Connor 01/09/59 St. Louis, MO
Buddy Rogers 06/30/61 Chicago, IL
Lou Thesz [3] 01/24/63 Toronto, ON
Promoters in Northeast refuse to recognize Rogers'
one-fall loss to Thesz and start World Wide Wrestling
Federation with Rogers as the first WWWF World
Heavyweight Champion; thesz defeats Rogers in a two-out-
of-three falls rematch on 02/07/63 in Toronto, ON.
Gene Kiniski 01/07/66 St. Louis, MO
Dory Funk Jr. 02/11/69 Tampa, FL
Harley Race 03/24/73 Kansas City, MO
Jack Brisco 07/20/73 Houston, TX
Giant Baba 12/02/74 Kagoshima, Japan
Jack Brisco [2] 12/09/74 Toyohashi, Japan
Terry Funk 12/10/75 Miami, FL
Harley Race [2] 02/06/77 Toronto, ON
Dusty Rhodes 08/21/79 Tampa, FL
Harley Race [3] 08/26/79 Orlando, FL
Giant Baba [2] 10/31/79 Nagoya, Japan
Harley Race [4] 11/07/79 Amagasaki, Japan
Giant Baba [3] 09/04/80 Saga, Japan
Harley Race [5] 09/09/80 Ohtsu, Japan
Tommy Rich 04/27/81 Augusta, GA
Harley Race [6] 05/01/81 Gainsville, GA
Dusty Rhodes [2] 06/21/81 Atlanta, GA
Ric Flair 09/17/81 Kansas City, MO
Wrestles to a double countout against WWF Heavyweight
Champion Bob Backlund on 07/04/82 in Atlanta, GA.
Jack Veneno ??/??/82 DOMINICA
Ric Flair [2] 09/07/82 DOMINICA
Carlos Colon* 01/06/83 San Juan, PR
Ric Flair [3] 01/23/83
Midnight Rider (Dusty Rhodes)#
02/09/83 Miami, FL
Ric Flair# 02/09/83 Miami, FL
Rider returns the belt when asked to identify himself
by NWA president Bob Geigel. Rhodes was under
suspension in Florida and wore a mask to wrestle
despite the suspension.
Harley Race [7] 06/10/83 St. Louis, MO
Ric Flair [4] 11/24/83 Greensboro, NC
Harley Race [8] 03/21/84 Wellington, New Zealand
Ric Flair [5] 03/23/84 Kallang, Singapore
Kerry Von Erich 05/06/84 Irving, TX
Ric Flair [6] 05/24/84 Yokosuka, Japan
Wrestles to a double countout against AWA World
Heavyweight Champion Rick Martel on 10/02/85 in
Tokyo, Japan.
Dusty Rhodes [3] 07/26/86 Greensboro, NC
Ric Flair [7] 11/27/86 Atlanta, GA
Roddy Piper 05/05/87 Charlotte, NC
Barry Windham 06/02/87 St. Louis, MO
Roddy Piper [2] 11/26/87 Chicago, IL
Steve Williams 12/25/87 Norfolk, VA
Barry Windham [2] 12/31/87 St. Louis, MO
Lex Luger 11/11/88
Awarded title to Luger, the current United States
Champion, when Windham is injured in a car accident.
Roddy Piper [3] 11/11/88 Greensboro, NC
Barry Windham [3] 02/02/89 Baltimore, MD
Stripped of the title after attacking NWA President Bob
Geigel.
Greg Valentine 04/19/89 Detroit, MI
Defeated Michael Hayes in finals of 36-man tournament.
Barry Windham [4] 11/24/89 Atlanta, GA
Roddy Piper [4] 07/28/90 Tampa, FL
Owen Hart 08/15/90 Indianapolis, IN
Won the NWA, WWF and AWA World Titles while retaining the
WWA World Title to become the Undisputed World Heavyweight
Champion. Stripped of the NWA title on 09/01/91, the AWA
folded on 10/05/91 and the WWF was merged into the NWA
following its purchase by Time-Warner on 01/01/92, leaving
Hart with only the WWA title.
Ric Flair [8] 09/17/91 Greensboro, NC
Defeated Ron Garvin in the final of an 8-man tournament.
Roddy Piper [5] 11/24/91 Charlotte, NC
Rick Steamboat 01/11/92 San Francisco, CA
Barry Windham [5] 02/13/92 Charlotte, NC
Vacated title on 05/25/92 upon quitting the NeWA.
Steve DiSalvo 05/25/92 Nashville, TN
Defeated Ted DiBiase for vacant title.
Ted DiBiase 07/04/92 Macon, GA
Nikita Koloff 08/03/92 Greensboro, NC
Stripped of the title on 08/21/92 and banned for life from
the NWA after a series of actions.
Roddy Piper [6] 10/12/92 Tokyo, Japan
Defeated Ted DiBiase in the final of a 36-man tournament
which was held by the IWGP and never sanctioned by the NWA.
Stripped of the title on 10/20/92 when the NWA shuts down.
Barry Windham [6] 04/22/93 Tokyo, Japan
Defeated Ric Flair in the final of an 18-man tournament.
Bret Hart 07/18/93 Atlanta, GA
Sid Vicious 09/15/93 Kansas City, MO
Barry Windham [7] 11/25/93 Orlando, FL
Stripped on 01/19/94 for attempting to blind Roddy Piper.
Jon Stewart 02/05/94 Atlanta, GA
Defeated Richard Barron for vacant title.
Barry Windham [8] 06/04/94 St. Louis, MO
Vacates title upon retirement on 04/01/95 when Paramount
Sports, who owns both the WWA and NWA, decides to unify both
organization's world titles. The NWA later nullifies the
merged belts, reviving the NWA World Title. The WWA and
Viacom, who purchased Paramount, claim the belts are still
merged and consider the current NWA to be bogus.
Pete Jackson 07/01/95 St. Louis, MO
Defeated Dan Severn in the final of a 12-man tournament.
Dan Severn 07/30/95 Pittsburgh, PA
The Great Muta 01/20/96 Tokyo, Japan
Dan Severn [2] 02/17/96 Kansas City, MO
Defeated Barry Windham to win the WWA World Title on
06/01/96 in St. Louis, MO to become Undisputed World
Champion. This unification was acknowledged by the PWA in a
failed attempt to bring peace between the three groups.
Severn is stripped of both titles on 07/03/96 for faking his
own death in a ruse in Japan.
Tommy Cairo 07/21/96 Newark, NJ
Defeated Roddy Piper for vacant title.
Frans Joule 08/07/96 Berlin, Germany
Stripped of title for refusing to defend the title against
Terry Funk, then determined to be the number one contender.
Terry Funk [2] 01/22/97 Los Angeles, CA
Awarded by the NWA Board.
Randy Savage 01/22/97 Los Angeles, CA
Roddy Piper [7] 04/23/97 Las Vegas, NV
Frans Joule [2] 09/01/97 Berlin, Germany
Vacate title on 11/23/97 and left the NWA over a dispute
with the front office.
Chris Worrell 11/25/97 Houston, TX
Defeated Siva the Warrior for vacant title.
Richard Barron 12/18/97 Osaka, Japan
Siva the Warrior 03/08/98 Las Vegas, NV
Roddy Piper [8] 06/07/98 St. Louis, MO
Vacated the title on 08/17/98 upon his retirement.
Adam Riggs 09/13/98 New York, NY
Defeated Dan Jesser in the finals of a tournament.
Dan Severn [3] 10/31/98 Portland, OR
Nightmare 12/28/98 Seattle, WA
Stephen Greer 03/20/99 Toronto, Ontario
Masakastsu Funaki 05/28/99 Tokyo, Japan
Sid Vicious [2] 07/22/99 Tampa, FL
Albert Smith 08/29/99 Anaheim, CA
Julian LeMoine 12/31/99 Atlanta, GA
Barry Windham [9] 06/18/00 Tampa, FL
Stripped of title on 05/01/01 when Prime Time Sports, the
current owner of the NWA, is purchased by Sports
Entertainment Productions, the parent company of World
Professional Wrestling.
Shawn Michaels 06/10/01 Kansas City, MO
Won 30-man Royal Rumble for vacant title.
The Giant 06/10/01 Kansas City, MO
Challenged Michaels immediately after Royal Rumble. Manami
Toyota defeated the Giant on 08/26/01 at an NWA Women's
supercard but was never handed the title belt. NWA President
Harley Race allowed the match but not the title change
because a title match had not been discussed or sanctioned;
and Vader's interference cost Giant the match.
Vader 10/21/01 Columbia, SC
Following the match, Bret Hart attacked Vader and stole the
NWA World Title belt, claiming it to be the new Capital
Wrestling Corporation World Heavyweight Title.
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